symbolism in the awakening

The Awakening contains many symbolic features, such as the way Edna uses art, the birds (the parrot and the mockingbird), sleep, music, and the houses Edna Pontellier lives in, but perhaps two of the most significant symbols are the clothes in the novel, not only of Edna, but also the other characters, and the water, whether it be the ocean, the gulf, or the sea. These two symbols are possibly the most significant because of …

…a very suppressed woman (fully clothed) and ‘covered by society and its’ strict roles, and then ends naked as if she is escaping the restricted boundaries of her clothes and of society. The water is a constant source of new life for Edna, and as her clothes are removed to go into the water, they are replaced by a more greater sense of power and energy, the freedom that the water has helped her realize.